


The Journey

by orphan_account



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Bottom Scott, Character Development, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, M/M, More tags later, Original Character - Freeform, Slow Burn, basically how Scott goes from the alliance and ends up in andromeda, default scott - Freeform, inter game, lots of tags, one hits, pre game, whos a biotic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-19 16:41:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10643895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Scott Ryder had a complex journey to Andromeda. His promising career was cut short when his father was discovered performing illegal research. His fling to take his mind off things quickly spirals out of control.Andromeda provides a whole new set of challenges, as once again Scott has to define who he is against a backdrop of people telling him who needs to be.He finds passion, friends and maybe even love along the way.Slow burn.





	1. The end of a beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> So i so need a better title. Titles are hard.
> 
> For some reason, I feel like Scott would have this bubbling self doubt, and it would manifest as a strong internal monologue. Which then only gets worse as he becomes acquainted with SAM. I've written this in italics, it's often Scott squabbling with himself in situations, if it works I'll keep it going in future chapters. Your opinions are welcome.

**Earth  
2184**

So it totally wasn't meant to be this way.

Scott wasn't the sort to make long endless lists and plan every step of his career.

But six months after his 21st birthday he certainly wasn't expecting to be sitting at home buzzed at 2 in the afternoon and no career left to speak of. _Epic fucking work_ _._

It **was** all going so well. Two weeks before his 21st he had received the results he was waiting for. His application for advanced training at the Interplanetary Combatives Academy had been a massive gamble. He was the youngest applicant to the programme by at least five years. It was designed for Alliance soldiers who had shown exemplary potential. A stepping stone to full N series training _._

He had breezed through the physical tests, he always had strong biotic skills, and thanks to some off book training and secrets from his Dad's own N7 experiences, he had combined all he had learnt into a formidable solider. He was a vanguard. Every part of him screamed it. Even as a kid, safety was never a big thing to him. He was frequently in the infirmary with cuts scratches and broken bones. It was always one more competition with Sara, who could climb the highest or furthest, who could run the fastest, who could pick the biggest fight with the meanest Krogan they saw on the Citadel. Man they had leaned on dad's contacts more than once with C-Sec to get out of some sticky situations. Scott didn't know why they did it. It just seemed something they'd do. _And it had nothing to do with competing for dad's attention right? Attention = love._   _You broken toy._  It only got worse when he got into his teenage years, showing off to impress boys had landed him trouble on more than one occasion, and it nearly never worked, _well ok, that one time stealing a guy off of Sara? Pretty damn proud of that right?_

He loved the barely contained rage and power he had as a vanguard. He had worked had to get to where he was. Hurtling towards his enemy, detonating his own shield and then delivering that final blow with his most prized possession - an Asari sword he had won in a poker match on the citadel 12 months beforehand.

The night he won that sword had been one of his finest. He had lied through his teeth to get into that game on the citadel; used every last bit of his charm to woo the Asari matriarch who was its previous owner. He knew how to work his looks, knew exactly when to work that smirk. He knew she was attracted to him, some baby faced Alliance child, for Scott the fact that she was around 700 years older than him held a curious sway over him. That evening ended with him 'embracing eternity'. So yeh. He more than earnt that sword. A hell of a prize.

He did just fine on other areas of his assessment. Maybe he hadn't inherited the genius genes from his parents. Sara took after his folks in that regard. So his aptitude scores and leadership potential was maybe a little lower than he himself would have liked, but then Scott always was his biggest critic. _No. Fuck off. I'm fair and balanced._ But soldiering was all he knew, he had the rawest of potential, and the rest of his leadership skills and the would get developed as he completed his training.

The final bit of the qualification requirements; a letter of recommendation from a senior Alliance official was enough to assuage any niggling doubts. Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett had written him a wonderful letter in support. When Scott read it himself, he found himself misty eyed by the end. _Baby_. He pounced on the Admiral the next time Scott saw him in the Arcturus base, almost knocking the officer over in the strength of the embrace. _And you looked like a complete idiot in the middle of the station concourse with your arms wrapped around an Admiral._

Admiral Hackett and his father went way back. They rose in rank together, kept in touch over the years and his fathers posting on the citadel as a senior attaché meant he would frequently see the Admiral, Scott viewed the Admiral as a second father.

So that was going to be that. For the first time in forever, he had a plan. He could see a career, he could close his eyes and see his life. He'd be leaving Arcturus, returning to earth for 6 weeks of intense training at Vila Militar, or 'N School' as he was learning it was colloquially known. Six weeks back on Earth to start the next phase of his promising Alliance career. Six weeks to see if he had the potential to consider an application to N training.

Six weeks.

He was rehearsing how to tell his father, he hadn't seen much of him over the past few months. He knew his dad was deep in one of his projects. His dad had been particularly cagey about this one, and even his mom was being unusually reserved with him. Something massively out of character.

Scott had an interesting relationship with his father. He knew he was loved. Alec just showed it in his own way.

He knew his father loved him... _no you think he loves you, because parents are kinda obligated too_...but he wasn't entirely sure that he respected him. Scott always felt he was missing that special spark that made a Ryder. Sara had it, and he saw the way Alec looked at her, different to how Alec looked at Scott. Alec had that glimmer in his eye when he looked at Sara. Sara was off doing research. She was doing science. Studying the most advanced species known to the quadrant and helping decipher their secrets. When Alec looked at Sara, Scott saw something he never saw in his fathers eyes when he looked at him - pride. _You've never been able to be worthy of that._

Maybe this would be the first step in changing things. He could follow in his footsteps in his own way. Be the best solider he could be. He was on the citadel when Commander Shepard became the first human spectre. Maybe that honour would one day fall on Scott? Ah well. He could only dream. _Seriously? Seriously? Spectre Ryder. Christ you're full of yourself._

It wasn't to be.

Scott had packed his entire life into two foot lockers. One was being shipped back to his place on the Citadel - the other he was taking him with him to Rio & the Villa. He was meeting his father on Saturday for dinner, he would tell him then.

Monday he would ship out.

His father had moved this dinner several times over the past month. Always one more delay, something else to keep him busy on his latest pet project. But he had promised to tell Scott everything this weekend. _You know you've heard that before right?_

But that wasn't to be either.

As per his routine, Scott woke 10 minutes before his 05:30 alarm. He lay in bed staring at the clock. The suspicious tent in the front of his thin military issue black briefs legacy of some dream now rapidly fading. He ran his hand across his stomach, sliding his hand down just below the waist band of the briefs. He grazed the top of his erection. His brain started its morning debate. Did he have time? _Yes_. Should he save it? _No_. He ran over his day. It was Tuesday. That was a pretty light day all things considered. He had a couple of reports due, and he was due in Relay control for some meetings which he had a suspicion were being repurposed for a informal leaving celebration. He decided against giving in. He liked the gentle buzz of Testosterone he always felt after avoiding a morning session, and whilst there were rules around fraternisation, there weren't any rules, _well none that you've ever been called up on_ , around checking out colleagues in the shower.

There was one guy, a tall dark haired marine, that he had yet to learn the name of, who had shared a glorious work out routine with Scott over the past week. _By shared a routine, you mean, you saw him one time you were in the gym, mentally undressed him the entire time, followed him around every machine and then repeated that for the rest of the week._ Scott had really stepped up his gym sessions of late, and at the end of the last week there had been half of a jerk off session shared in the showers.

Eyes had locked across the cubicles and smirks had lead each of them taking it in turns to put on something of a show. Scott really enjoyed watching the soap suds run down the broad hairy chest of the Latin looking marine, into his trimmed pubic hair as he played with his thick hard c... _hey, either jerk off or don't. This is just torture_.

Unfortunately, others had interrupted the show leading to a hastily finished shower and a dull ache in his too full balls. He had been trying to find the marine again. Arcturus was a big station. They hadn't crossed paths again - yet. Scott was a stubborn bastard when he wanted something. It was only a matter of time before he found his prey. _You do know people get in trouble for that kinda view. Slippery slope. That's all I'm saying._

He shook off the memory with a sigh and a smile. It wasn't doing anything to get rid of his erection.

Jumping out of bed, he walked the few meters to the tiny kitchenette flipping the switch to brew some coffee. He walked back into the bathroom to battle with the unique complexities of trying to pee with an erection noting the message indicator notification flashing away as he passed his workspace. _It'll be the latest box set of that crappy romcom you've been irrationally drawn too._

The second battle of the morning was always - does he check his messages now, or after his run & whilst he ate breakfast.

As he flushed the toilet, washed up and returned into his small Arcturus lodgings, the smell of brewing coffee spurred him into action. He sat down at his terminal. 12 new emails since he climbed into bed. Pretty standard. Glancing down the list, the formality of one caught his eye:

**ATTN: Ryder, S, G34876-A765  
RE: Immediate cessation  & investigation. Report to internal affairs.**

"Fuck" scott exhaled as he lept from his chair at the terminal.

_Fuck fuck fuck._

He paced. A million thoughts running through his mind. Had his Latin friend reported him? Had he mis read the signs? _No. You were both just as hard as each other and really enjoyed  into that._ What then? Had someone else seen them? Had someone alleged something? Scott made no secret of his attraction to men, Had some idiot with backward prejudice made something up? _If they are, someone is getting a beating._

Rational thought returned to him: he'd only know how to deal with the problem by finding out what it was. Reading the email seemed like the logical place to start.

He held his breath and tapped the subject line to open the message

**Ryder, Scott**

**You are hereby notified that pursuant to section 6, subsection 5 of the Alliance service code, an internal investigation relating to your proprietary, fitness to serve and professional integrity has commensed.**

**Your place at ICT training is forfeit**

Scott's heart sank.

**You will report to Internal Affairs at 09:00 where the full nature of the charges will be explained to you.**

**A legal representative will be provided.**

And that was the start of Tuesday.

________________

Over the course of the next couple of days it became clear what had happened. His dad had been involved in some research. Some illegal research. This pet project of his had essentially ended Scott's career and killed all his dreams over night.

He still didn't know all the details. He knew that whatever was happening was also happening to Sara. He managed to speak to her by vid call that same morning, she was out on a dig and had been called back.

Scott had tried so many times to reach out to Hackett. His aide would always deflect Scott's emails, calls and even when Scott just turned up to the admirals office he was 'unavailable'. _You're toxic._

Scott returned home that night to an email from the Admiral. That was as devastating as it was brief.

**I'm sorry son. There's nothing to be done.**

**Steven.**

By Friday it was over. Scott was discharged from the Alliance and on his way home. His future was done. Apparently the sins of the father translated to his children.

______________

Scott didn't speak to his father for weeks, partly because his father never tried to reach out. And Scott would be damned if he would be the one to make the first call. His father had ruined Scott's life after all. He was the one who needed to explain himself.

He learnt that whatever his research was, it was progressing at pace. His father had clearly gotten into something big. Scott was 'invited' in to see some very high powered and very expensive lawyers who had undertaken some briefings on his fathers behalf and explained that his father wouldn't be pursued any further by either Alliance or citadel agencies.

He had returned to earth. His parents were here now. Whatever was going on, had meant his father had left the citadel as well. His mom was doing well all things considered, she was in good spirits most days, though Scott knew this was mostly for his benefit. _Ya think?!_

She assured him that his fathers work was ground breaking and important. And that she promises he loves Scott dearly and will tell him whatever he can as soon as he can. _I bet Sara already knows._

Yeh, you know that time you wanna rip that internal monologue outta the front of your skull. Now would be a good time. He really didn't need the self doubt and grief kicking in over the next couple of weeks.

_Fuck you too man._

It would be a long few weeks.


	2. Dealing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott has to deal with the end of his Alliance career, and does so in a novel way. Shameless smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got biiiig. Again, no beta so all errors are my own.

So here he was.

21 and discharged from the only dream he had. He spent sometime down in Rio. He wanted to see what his life could have been. He wanted to get as close to Vila Militar, as close to the ICT, as he could. Suffice to say, that was a bust. With all training done in secret, Scott was left staring at a building complex in the distance.

He hadn't really come down here with a plan, planning wasn't his strong suit afterall. He got on a transport straight after lunch with his mom.

The lunch had been pleasant enough. Scott adored his mother, but at the moment, she spent all her time apologising for his father. She assured him, yet again, that this was important work and that, yet again, his father would tell him everything soon.

He just wanted to spend as much time with his mother as he could. He didn't want it to be awkward. And a part of him, _come on, a really fucking big part of you_ , resented his father for ruining what would be the last few months with his mother. Why couldn't his latest project wait? He'd have nothing but time after she had...you know.

He remembered fondly the last time they were all together, only weeks ago, Sara back from a dig in the traverse, Scott had returned to HQ in Vancouver for his leadership aptitude testing, which he had managed to keep secret from everyone. _Except Sara, you'd get a nose bleed if you even tried to lie to Sara_. Mom looked so well, and even dad was on good form. He regaled them all with tales of trips through the Charon relay, whilst they enjoyed a home cooked meal. They felt like a real family. Dad was always so open, so accessible when they were talking about the past and his missions.

God that seemed a lifetime ago.

Too late into his little trip down memory lane, Scott realised he had wandered way off the beaten track and he had no clue where he was. The midday sun was reaching its zenith and Scott could feel the sweat rolling down his back. He at least had the good foresight to dress appropriately, in a light vest, grey shorts and stylish sun glasses. He was suddenly acutely aware of how much the stereotypical tourist he looked.

He carried on walking for a while, trying to find his way back to a main street or other path he might have a clue of recognising. _Just ask for fucking directions. You're in a strange city, no one expects you to know the way. What is it with you and pride?_

A few more minutes he promised himself. He could fix this, he didn't need anyone else. It was the heat. All the narrow back streets were looking the same. He needed a cool drink, maybe some food. Then he'd be able to find his way back. That was it. _You. Are. A. Fucking. Idiot._

He exhaled in relief as he enjoyed the cool soothing air as he entered the bar. A traditional taverna establishment, it had a narrow corridor devoid of tables leading to a high wooden bar. On both sides there were large low tables and to his right, a long and ornate fireplace. The fireplace was a beautiful sight, with grey stonework making an opposing sight and dominating the room. Into the large stonework were carved a number of deep stone recesses. These allowed people to sit in some privacy away from the prying eyes of the rest of the bar.

He stalked to the bar, training still advising him to appraise the room as he went. The Alliance might not consider him a solider anymore, but the training didn't just leave him.

It was past what he assumed was the peak rush of lunch, so the bar was largely empty, two tables on his left had patrons, one obvious couple enjoying each other and ignored him entirely, the other had two people who looked him up and down, the young lady at the table offering him a flash of a smile before returning to her conversation.

Scott continued to the bar. As he studied his options for a drink he became aware of someone watching him. That sense he could never explain, his flight and fight response, the sense that seemed to prime his biotics ready for a response. A sense he had always trusted. He causally ordered a drink and subtly turned his back on the bar to try and assess who could have triggered him.

The romantic couple were still exploring each other's mouths, and the other table appeared deep in debate. But still, Scott trusted the response.

As he started to turn back to the bar to pick up his drink, he saw him. A guy was sat in one of the recesses. Face largely hidden in shadow, Scott had missed him entirely when he walked into the bar. He felt it largely luck that he had seen him now.

A mischievous grin emerged from the shadow. Scott still couldn't see the guys face. But what little light there was reflected off his teeth. Scott continued to watch. He wasn't willing to back down. This guy was watching him and was going out of his way to be as creepy as hell about it. Scott wanted to know why.

"Yeh so maybe you can get a decent view of my ass from way over there in creepy corner, but trust me, it's way better up close". He heard himself say before really engaging his brain. _You do know your smart mouth is going to get you killed one day._ It might be today. _Idiot_.

He heard a snort from the corner; "That almost sounds like an offer." In one fluid motion his mysterious voyeur slid from the bench Scott now realises he's been occupying in the corner of the recess and bounds towards him.

Now that he's in view, Scott can appraise the man. He looks older, Scott estimates early to mid 30's. He's lean, but looks well built. Carries himself with purpose as he strides closer to Scott. There's something about the way he walks; it's familiar. There's a confidence behind it. A confidence Scott finds an odd mix of sexy as hell and worrying. He'd put money on this guy being military. Scott continues to appraise the man. He looks to be about Scott's height and has deep, thick stubble. His intelligent eyes look straight at Scott, never breaking their lock with his own. Scott can't make out their colour until he's closer, and when he does, the it almost catches him unaware. It's a vivid passionate emerald, Scott stares into them and finds himself making up complex back stories and naming their first children.

He snaps himself back into the room. This is a stranger who was trying not to be seen. He's still expecting trouble. _Or a fuck._

Now that his mystery man is stood right in front of him, Scott realises he's a good three or four inches shorter than the stranger. _That's ok. You've got a powerful biotic punch in you. You can take him Ryder. Or make out with him. Look at those lips. Oh god. And he smells so good. But. No...those lips...look._

Scott found his gaze doing just that. The stranger had full rosey lips which were set against his dark tan complexion. Scott felt himself startling to flush and he subconsciously licked his own lips.

_Yeh. You're terrible at this you know._

The man looked Scott up and down. And without saying a word he reached out and put his hands on Scott's shoulders and spun him around.

"Yeh. You're right. Waaay better view from this close up."

Scott blushed some more.

_You're wearing grey shorts, they cling to all the right places you knew this when you put them on this morning. These are the fruits of your labour. Enjoy them._

Scott returned to face his new admirer, ignoring the flush in his cheeks and tried to slip into his most causal persona.

"So, let me guess, you're with the tourist office? They pay you to sit in dark corners, and then compliment guys on their butts. I'm between careers right now, do you have any materials I could read or an application form I can fill in?"

The guy chuckled. "You're better on your feet parading that thing around than sitting on it."

_This guy is good. Be careful. Plus. You know he's at least being honest. You're totally rocking it today._

"I'll give you that. Seriously though, what's the game?"

"No game," he at least seemed genuine, "It's...complicated and a conversation for another day. That will have to do for now. I'm Gabriel. It's nice to meet you."

He thrust his hand out to meet Scott's. Scott met the firm grip with his own.

"Scott, creepy introductions aside, it's good to meet you too."

Gabriel smirked a lob sided smirk at Scott. That, the accent, those lips, the physical contact, Scott felt blood rush south.

_Keep it cool goof. Don't ruin this for us._

"Can I buy you a drink then Scott? To apologise for offending your delicate sensibilities by objectifying you."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with appreciating finer things in life. My ass is a good thing. Wait till you see what I can do with it."

_You. Actually. Just. Said. That._

It was Gabriel's turn to flush. "Well how about we start with a drink and go from there."

They both turned back to the bar, Gabriel scoffed as he saw the drink Scott had been presented with. "That's the cheap swill they serve the tourists". He summoned the bar tender back over. "Two caipirinha's Antonio and I want the top shelf cachaça, my friend here deserves the best".

Scott smiled at Gabriel. They waited in comfortable silence for the drinks, Scott watching intently as the bar tender proceeded to make the drinks, mashing lime and sugar mixing with crushed ice and reaching as requested for some top shelf liquor to add to the mix. Scott couldn't wait.

As they were presented with two glasses, condensation already running down the side of the glasses, Gabriel ushered Scott back towards his alcove. "Want to come back to my lair, see why it's good to hide?" He purred the question at Scott.

"Like a spider to a fly huh?" Scott responded. Gabriel winked. This boy was trouble. _You always did have a type._

Scott slide into the alcove first. He had to admit, it was a good spot, even in the mid afternoon sunlight, it felt dark, intimate and secret. They had a pretty full view of the bar, and Scott noticed how the couple had now started exploring each other with their hands as well.

"I can see why you like this spot" Scott conceded.

"I like to observe my surroundings. It gives me chance to meet interesting people like you." Gabriel said with another wink.

"That's a really bad line. I'm already in your little den, and you're getting me drunk. Lay off the cheese." Scott playfully threw back. _You're so ready to let this man bend you over aren't you._

Scott quickly found that another added feature of his new surroundings was the way it collected sounds, conversations around him seem to be funnelled into the acoustics of the alcove meaning even whispers from the few other conversations around the bar were pretty easy to listen into if they so desired.

But the conversation flowed easily, Scott got on well with Gabriel, and the light hearted conversation warmed him after the shitty few weeks he had just finished. One round turned into two, into three into 4 hours later. With each passing caipirinha, Scott got closer and closer to Gabriel until their thighs were touching and they had cozied together into the large bench they were sitting on.

"So why Rio?" Gabriel asked of Scott as the barman delivered their next round of drinks to their hideout. Scott had quickly come to realise, that Gabriel had some pretty awesome skills when it came to deflecting personal questions. This was another case, Scott had tried to get some more personal details out of Gabriel but was again  distracted, by him battering his eye lashes. Stretching a little, and shifting in the booth causing their thighs to rub together. It was a pretty obvious move. _Yeh, so obvious that you've been falling for it for four and a half hours. It's worked every time._

Scott sighed loudly. He looked up at Gabriel, the question seemed genuine. _They always did_. He was fighting a strong buzz from all the drinks and his capacity for witty comebacks was severely limited. So the truth would have to do.

"I came chasing a dream that's dead." He didn't quite remove as much of the bitterness as he'd like.

"You're military right? Alliance?" Gabriel asked.

Scott nodded. "That obvious?"

"Yeh. You and your fine ass have a confident and trained walk about you. If I had to guess, you came to see the villa? You washed out of the N program and came to live out some failed dream?"

Scott flinched involuntarily. "Close. I never got a chance to start. My dad is involved in something he shouldn't be, and I went from golden family to pariah overnight. The Alliance is done with me."

"Their loss is my gain" Gabriel purred as he rubbed his thumb over the back of Scott's hand as it rested on the table.

Scott gulped, and looked into Gabriel's deep eyes. He hadn't been aware that his eyes had started misting.

"Hey, hey. It's ok" Gabriel smiled as he wiped a single tear that had started to roll down Scott's face. "They'll be other things. You'll find a new passion."

_You have one right in front of you._

"I've found my current passion." Scott kissed at Gabriel's hand, still resting on his face. Gabriel slowly slid his hand onto Scott's chest. Without wasking a breath, Scott swung his body around on the bench to sit on Gabriel's lap. He smiled and leaned forward. Crashing their lips together, in a move fuelled by passion, repressed emotions and a high blood:alcohol ratio.

They explored each other's taste for a long while. Scott loving the way Gabriel's thick stubble grazed against his smooth cheeks and loving the way he could feel Gabriel's arousal rubbing against his ass through the material of his shorts. Scott moaned contently. "You taste like limes."

"Should we get out of here?" Scott heard, at this point he couldn't be sure who had made the suggestion. He was just grateful it was made.

Gabriel settled the bill, and took Scott by the hand as they left the bar. Twilight had descended over Rio and the whole city had a different, and painfully romantic, feel.

Gabriel threw his arm around Scott's shoulder and pulled the younger man close to him. Scott enjoyed both the contact and security of the hold, but also the help it offered to ensure he walked in something approximating a straight line. Those drinks were kicking his ass now he was outside.

The walk was a pleasant one. Despite what they each knew was coming at the end of the walk, the urgency was a gentle one. Gabriel had led Scott up a small hill as they headed back to his apartment, and they stoped at the top. There was a great view over parts of the city with the sea in the distance. Romantic as hell. Gabriel pulled Scott's head towards his into another passionate kiss. They embraced tightly. Gabriel's hands sliding down Scotts back until they cupped his ass.

"You made me a promise that you'd show me what you could do with this remember?" Gabriel whispered into Scotts ear.

Scott simply smiled in response as he brought their lips together to kiss once again.

Gabriel led them down a couple more narrow streets until they reached the entrance of his building, he led them into a small hallway that opened into a large open room. Scott admired the room, it was tastefully decorated, a gentle evening breeze blowing in from an opening to his right. He turned to the source of the breeze to find floor to ceiling patio doors, open to a wide balcony overlooking the city, a large rug marked the line between outside and inside. There was a large seating area directly opposite the balcony, with large and clearly expensive sofas forming a horseshoe shape around a magnificent central feature fireplace that reached to the ceiling.

Scott whistled, _well you tried to whistle, you were a little wasted so it was basically a bit of a painful spitty wheeze_. "Wow, you're rich right?"

Gabriel laughed. "Not exactly, it's complicated."

Scott let the vague answer lie, and continued to walk around the impressive apartment space. There was a large dining space that lead into an exceptionally open and well equipped kitchen area.

"Bedrooms?" Scott requested.

"Straight down the hall" Gabriel informed pointing the way, "But how about you go sit on the balcony? I'll bring you a drink."

"Ok, but you know I'm totally a sure thing at this point right?" Scott hoped for playful and casual. _Well what you gave was slurred and slutty._

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

As Gabriel headed into the kitchen to get the drinks, Scott pulled him for another deep and rough kiss. "Go get me more booze" He ordered as he slapped Gabriel's ass and sent him on his way.

Scott laughed as he made his way to the balcony area. This was the best he had felt in weeks. Months. He felt lighter on his feet and at ease. _That's a butt load of good booze, and knowing you're about to get laid._

Scott ungraciously flopped into one of the comfortable bucket chairs next to a small table and exhaled contently. This was a hell of a view. A gentle thrum of anticipation coursed through him.

After what must have only been a few minutes. Gabriel returned with two glasses and something behind his back. He placed the glasses on the table.

"So, earlier, you mentioned your time on the Citadel and it seemed liked you really missed it. I thought this might remind you of better days."

Gabriel removed the bottle from behind his back and reverently presented it to Scott. The bottle was sleek and the liquor inside had a bluish hue. Scott recognised it as Serrice Ice Brandy. And the really fucking good stuff as well.

Scott's face lit up. "Holy Shit! This stuff is awesome, but man, it's pricey. You shouldn't waste this on me."

"Your face alone right now, makes it a bargain at twice the price." Gabriel earnestly responded. He took the lid of the bottle and poured two generous measures into the glasses.

Scott instantly took the glass offered to him and inhaled deeply. Tentatively he took a sip. Instantly, he was transported to the last time he enjoyed the drink, that night on the Citadel playing high stakes poker where he ended up with an Asari sword and some brilliant memories. It had been over a year since he had last tasted this drink, it wasn't something an Alliance grunt could typically afford, but the memories flooding back to him were incredibly vivid.

"Wow." Was all he was able to articulate.

Gabriel was staring at him from the seat he had taken. His own glass was on the table still, apparently watching Scott enjoy his own drink was enough for now.

Scott took a second sip of the drink. Savoured it and then swallowed. When he took his third, he moved over to Gabriel and holding the expensive blue nectar in his mouth, he kissed Gabriel. Transferring the drink into his mouth.

Gabriel smiled as he swallowed. And exhaled loudly. "That's definitely the way to drink this." He commented happily.

There was something so intimate about this whole scene. Scott felt the attraction in the pit of his stomach. His dick felt it too. He was suddenly aware of its weight, pulling against the front of his shorts.

He set his glass on the floor just in front of him, and locked eyes with Gabriel. Without breaking eye contact, Scott slid his hands under Gabriel's shirt and unfastened the hook on the trousers Gabriel had on. He gestured to Gabriel to sit up in the chair to allow Scott to remove both his trousers and underwear in one motion. Scott smiled and appreciated Gabriel's rapidly swelling cock. It had everything Scott enjoyed, a good girth for him to get his mouth around, a foreskin for his tongue to play with and big heavy balls for him to roll around.

"I've been waiting to see you with my dick in your mouth since you walked into that bar. Have you any idea what perfect lips for blowjob you have?"

Scott did know. He'd heard it several times over the years. But he simply winked coyly as he took the head of his penis into his mouth. Gabriel exhaled fiercely as a string of expletives flew from his mouth. Scott took it for the encouragement it was, sliding the cock deeper into his mouth as he lavished attention over every inch with his tongue.

He moaned contently as he felt the tickle of pubic hair against his nose. His hand slid into his shorts as he started to jerk himself off.

Gabriel reached down to swat Scott's hand away from his own shorts. "No. That's mine. I decide when you're allowed to play with it tonight." Gabriel commanded.

Scott smiled as he removed his hand from his shorts. Alliance soldiers were trained to follow orders afterall.

Scott returned his attention to the cock in front of him. He gripped the base with his hand as he pulled the foreskin back over the exposed head, capturing his tongue inside it. He loved doing this, and from the sounds Gabriel was making, he loved it too. 

Scott carried on like this for a while, he loved doing this, giving a man pleasure in the best way he could, eager to please, quick to learn and adapt. The hallmark of a well trained solider.

He lazily jerked off Gabriel as he reached and picked up the glass in front it him taking another sip. Then, as all great inspirations happen, a flash of revelation hit him: combine his two greatest passions.

He took another mouthful of the liquor and then took the head of Gabriel's erection back into his mouth. It didn't go quite as smoothly as he had planned, with liquor spilling onto the floor unceremoniously.

"Erm, I think i just spilled about 50 credits worth of booze onto your floor" Scott informed a unfazed Gabriel with a wink.

"You can pay it off by doing more of what you're doing" Gabriel responded with honeyed tones.

Scott returned to his prize and, not being the sort to be put off by failure, tried again with the brandy. He got the hang of it after a while, with maybe no more than another 30 credits worth of liquor finding its way onto the floor.

Gabriel rose from his chair with purpose. "My turn," the passion in his accented voice caused Scott's painfully engorged dick to throb, "take off all your clothes."

Scott stood and obeyed the order. Unsteady on his feet, he tried to make a show of it as he did so. He wasn't wearing much, so the show was brief, and mostly clumsy, the brandy dulling his ability to stand still it seems.

Gabriel admired a now naked Scott who stood in front of him, the flush of alcohol visible on his defined chest. His eyes ran up and down the perfectly proportioned body. Scott had been somewhat neglecting his gym time since leaving the Alliance, and had lost some muscle mass, but he still retained an enviable physquie. Toned, rather than muscular, he was hard in all the right places, including his erection. Which strained towards his stomach and had a noticeable amount of precum leaking down the broad shaft.

Gabriel smiled. "Holy fuck, Scott." Scott smiled at the attention, he always enjoyed this part. He had a strong exhibitionist streak. He loved the idea of people watching him. Of people being hard because of him.

Gabriel stood and walked over to Scott. He embraced him in a lustfully hard kiss. Their erections knocking against each other, Scott could feel himself leaving a trail of precum all over Gabriel's hip as he pulled his body as tightly against his lover as he could.

Gabriel broke the kiss, and pulled Scott over to the balcony railing. Arching Scott's back provocatively over the waist high barrier. He moved behind Scott and sank to his knees.

"The view is even better now" he chucked to himself as he slid his tongue down Scott's back and over into his ass. Scott moaned loudly as Gabriel found that sweet spot and slid his tongue inside the younger man. Fuck the neighbours, and fuck who could see them. Scott needed this.

Gabriel expertly worked Scott over, biting at his ass, delicately and professionally focusing on Scott's asshole, preparing him for what was to come.

After what felt like an eternity, Scott couldn't wait any longer. His impatient streak, and the fact his penis was being dangerously ignored, won out. He turned around and pulled Gabriel to his feet. Scott kissed Gabriel once more and reached down to grab Gabriel's throbbing penis. With a smile, he gripped the penis hard and led Gabriel inside by it. "More" was his simple command.

Gabriel had stashed a small bottle of lube near the exit to the balcony which he grabbed it on the way past. He started leading Scott towards the bedrooms.

They never made it.

Scott pushed Gabriel down onto the plush rug in front of the patio windows. Snatching the bottle out of Gabriel's hands, he flipped the lid and proceeded to apply the thick liquid to Gabriel's dick. Happy he was sufficiently prepared. He straddled Gabriel's chest. Slowly and seductively, he slid down towards the prize that awaited him, reaching around and grasping his partner's penis, he held it firm as he sank onto it.

Another string of expletives erupted from Gabriel as Scott eased his way down to the hilt. Allowing himself to get used to the feeling, Scott stilled himself. In his own time, he reached down and pulled Gabriel's hands above his head pinning them to the floor. He held them in place with his own hands as he started to ride.

Gabriel knew he wouldn't last long. This was all too overwhelming. He made sure to commit to memory as much as possible. The sight of Scott riding his dick, the tight hotness which enveloped his dick and the blissful look on Scott's beautiful face. Yeh, this would be over quickly.

"Fuck you're beautiful." Was all he managed to utter as he continued to watch Scott work himself on his dick. He saw Scott's hard cock bouncing against his stomach, the head throbbing to a deep purple and a steady stream of precum leaking from the tip.

"Jerk yourself off for me Scott".

Scott couldn't refuse a direct order like that, so releasing Gabriel's hands, he did just that. Arching his back and continuing to bounce on the dick inside him, Scott took his penis in his hands and stroked it firmly, his own precum a makeshift lube to aide his release. His chest flushed more with arousal which started spread to his cheeks. Gabriel couldn't take his eyes off him. It took every ounce of strength he had to avoid spilling his load right there. But he had to focus on getting Scott to find his release first.

Beads of sweat were forming on Scott's perfect forehead and started to roll down his face. His perfectly slicked back hair, was now becoming dangerously wild. Gabriel noticed a more irrational pace to Scott's hips and saw his balls tighten towards the base of his penis.

"That's it, cum for me Scott."

And he did.

Gabriel felt the first impacts of warmth on his chest as Scott reached his orgasm, looking down, he saw wave after wave of cum erupting from Scott. He felt an impact on his face, and was sure a couple of streams went past his head.

Though in truth, it was hard to focus given the amazing sensations surrounding his own dick. Scott's ass contracted and pulsed throughout his own orgasm which was all it took for Gabriel to unload inside of Scott. Gabriel grabbed hold of Scott's hips hard as he rode through his own release. He bit his lips hard as he came, trying to minimise the animalistic noises he was barely aware he was making.

After what he swore was hours, his orgasm finally abated.

He opened his eyes to find Scott staring down at him with that shit eating grin back on his face. "Man, you're a hot mess right now" Scott said as he started to play with the cum on Gabriel's chest "though you covered in my cum is a good look for you."

Gabriel had no words to offer in response. So Scott continued, "That's ok champ. You rest for a minute. Round two starts in a few."

Gabriel smiled. It was going to be one of those nights. A night he'd remember for a long time to come.

And it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first attempt at writing smut. Hopefully it's not too ridiculous.


	3. Interregnum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet day doesn't go exactly to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a turn I wasn't expecting.

Scott woke the next morning with a start. It took him a while to realise where he was.

He stretched out into the comfortable sheets. The bed was massive. To his right he saw Gabriel still fast asleep. He admired the sight, this was the first time he remembeed seeing Gabriel at peace. Gabriel was fast asleep on his stomach. Naked. It was a hell of sight. His leg was folded against the bed sheet and his face directed toward Scott. Scott drunk in the sight, admired the strength in the shoulders, the way his back arched into a full and pert ass, he had strong thighs, Scott smiled as remembered bouncing against them only a few hours ago.

Gabriel sighed gently in his sleep and his face cracked into a half smile. He looked younger. For the life of him he couldn't work this man out. Scott considered himself a pretty good judge of character, but in the 18 or so hours he had known Gabriel, he had seen the beginnings of two distinct sides to the man. The first was cocksure bravado, hidden behind that smile and confidence. The second was far gentler and way more sincere. It was the man who wiped a tear away from Scott's face, the man who held his hand as they walked slowly through the city. There always seemed to be a conflict simmering behind his eyes. Something in the furrowed brow.

Asleep, the conflict was denied. He looked content. No, he looked happy. _Though a night in bed with you also could account for the look._ Scott smiled. He ached all over. His head pounded, he felt sick to his stomach and well as for his body; he felt bruises forming all over and the pleasant ache in his ass reminded him of the fun he had last night.

He cant exactly remember when they ended up in the bedroom, possibly somewhere between the third and fourth round. The now empty bottle of brandy was discarded next to the side of the bed. Despite the aches and the growing pain in his temples, a sure warning his hangover was shaping up to be massively epic, he was in a good mood. He had spent the day in pleasant company, had an awesome night of sex to blow away any cobwebs. And most importantly, his mind had been focused on something else other than the shambles which was his life. _Well, now you mention it, what a fucking mess your life is._ No. He wasn't going to get into this type of thinking again. Not right now at least.

He decided to score some more awesome person points by cooking them both breakfast. As quietly as he could, he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Once relieved he headed to the kitchen, via the balcony to collect his underwear. _Always the sign of a good night._ He found eggs in the fridge, and some form of thin cut meat, that looked like bacon but with a slightly spiced aroma and what were unmistakably sausages.

He was proud of his efforts as he finished toasting some bread and brought a pot of coffee to the table. Just as he was about to head to the bedroom to wake Gabriel, he heard the toilet flushing and steps heading down the hall towards him.

"Morning sleepy" Scott purred at Gabriel who was still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I cooked. I'm a phenomenal human being: a fantastic chef as well as world class lay". Gabriel laughed, a genuinely happy laugh, "Oh man, are you ever off?"

He strode around the table to kiss Scott. "Morning."

"Sit, eat my goodies", Scott instructed as he cast his arms over the spread on the dining table in front of them.

Breakfast was a relaxed affair, Scott enjoyed how easy time was with Gabriel. Conversation flowed and any silences, few as they were, were relaxed and typically filled with the men less than subtly taking the opportunity to check each other out.

"That was amazing" Gabriel said as he crossed his knife and fork on his now empty plate.

"I had to get something from my father." Scott commented with just a hint of angst in his voice "Breakfast was the one meal he enjoyed cooking for us". Gabriel rubbed his hand over Scott's it was a gesture that was fast taking on meaning for the couple.

"So, plans for the day?" Gabriel asked.

"None. I only really came down here on the spur of the moment. I suppose I should head back home."

"Well if you're in no rush, I have a commitment this morning, that should only take an hour or so, but then I'm free if you want to spend it together?"

"A commitment? That's...vague. Checking in with he wife? Kids?"

"No," Gabriel scoffed. "it's a work thing. Very dull."

Scott noticed Gabriel's 'other' persona was slipping back into place.

"Yeh, you know I don't buy into this whole mystery man routine" Scott warned.

"I promise, it's dull, two hours max. Will you stay?"

Scott sighed. "Yes."

"I need to shower before I leave...join me?"

Scott didn't answer straight away, _all about pretending to be that classy gay right?_ His response was getting up, taking Gabriel by the hand and leading him to the bathroom.

Scott enjoyed the luxury of showering. It was luxurious to shower with someone else without having to worry about being caught, but simpler than that , it was luxurious to shower not having to worry about his hot water allowance.

It also gave him another opportunity to drop to his knees and swallow Gabriel's load.

After Gabriel had dressed and departed, Scott took his alone time as a chance to have a nap to try and avoid the worse of his hangover.

His mom frequently warned him that biotics should avoid drinking heavily. It was something about how the alcohol interacted with his neural implants and could trigger migraines or other problems caused by dehydration. Biotics had a high metabolism, they burnt hot and needed frequent snacks and good hydration. Anything that was a diuretic should technically be avoided. _Technically. Your mom also warned you about going home with mystery men as well but check out where you are right now._ Well, everyone has to make their own mistakes right? _Right_.

_________________

His stomach awoke him from his nap.

He rubbed his rumbling mid section. He couldn't have been asleep for that long. Gabriel said he'd only been gone for a couple of hours. His mouth tasted gross and he felt like he hadn't drunk any water in days. Despite all that, his hangover had largely abated. Maybe his luck was changing. _Jinx_.

He climbed out of bed and wandered towards the kitchen in search of more food. He caught a clock on the wall as he entered the kitchen. It had been 4 hours. That explained the hunger and progression of his hangover. He couldn't hear Gabriel in the apartment, so called out to see if he was home, or had retreated into some yet unknown hidey hole again.

The only response was the rumbling of his angry stomach again. He needed food. He rustled around the fridge in the hope of finding something which met his approval. He was disappointed by the lack of acceptable options, it was all high end stuff and Scott, who had been known on Arcturus as someone who actually enjoyed emergency rations, _seriously, I mean who wouldn't prefer to trade out a hot meal for creds that I could either buy cool shit with, or liquor_ , was in the mood for something simple.

He grabbed a large bottle of water out of the fridge drunk the majority of it in one long gulp and picked up another bottle before slamming the fridge door shut. He turned to the cupboards around the kitchen. It felt a little weird going through other peoples shit _technically, he didn't say you couldn't rummage through all his stuff_ but damnit, Gabriel was late and Scott was hungry.

He found a cupboard near the back of the room which seemed promising. Bags of chips, and what looked like protein bars. He grabbed a couple of boxes down to feast on the processed goodness inside. "Urgh cherry," he remarked in disgust as he threw the box back into the cupboard where it fell with a thud. He checked the second box, cookie dough. _Jackpot_. He grabbed the last three bars from the box and discarded the empty cardboard into the recycling bin.

Half the first bar had gone by the time Scott returned to one of the large sofas in the living room. He had napped naked, largely cos he hadn't been able to sleep wearing clothes since Alliance basic training. _They're called commandos for a reason Ryder._ But he also realised that, as with all his super well thought out plans, he had no change of clothes. So wearing what little he had when he didn't need too seemed like a waste.

He also liked the idea of surprising Gabriel naked when he returned home. Maybe he'd do something ridiculous like be on all fours when when he heard the door open? _Playing hard to get again then? Super classy Gay. That was you._

Scott had finished all his snacks and was getting restless. Sitting on his butt waiting for someone was not one of his virtues. He leapt up and decided he'd sweat out the rest of the alcohol from his system.

Basic training had taught him a wide range of exercise options from marine combat to some kick ass biotic tug of war games he had learnt from his brief time on Jump Zero. But seeing as he had no one else to play with right now. He figured he'd stick to some basic circuits.

He had completed a pretty intense 20 minutes of exercise and was starting to get dangerously impatient. He jumped in the shower again to wash off his exercise funk, and decided he'd borrow something of Gabriel's. Hell maybe Gabriel would even get a thrill out of it. He towelled himself off and headed to slide the large mirrored door which Scott assumed hid the wardrobe and dressing area off of the main bedroom.

Although Scott was a good few inches shorter than Gabriel, he assumed he'd be able to find some casual shorts or maybe some gym stuff that wouldn't be too out of place on his frame. There was something odd about the wardrobe he was looking into. And Scott couldn't immediately place it.

Clothes were neatly folded onto shelves, and a number of shirts hung off a rail in front of him, they were colour coded, with the clothes hanging from light to dark, an almost military precision which Scott could appreciate, _but never emulate, that was one bit of training which never took_.

The colour coding was quirky sure, but there was something else. Then it hit him, everything was new. Seriously, every shirt was looked brand new. A couple were still in protective wrapping. Scott starting lifting the neatly stacked tee shirts from one of the shelves within the wardrobe, again many of them still had labels on.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he lifted a pair of dress shoes off the rack where they proudly stood. He flipped over the shoe to check out the heel, not a single scuff on the high shine sole. He righted the shoe. _In for a penny and all that_ he stuck his nose into the shoe and inhaled. Definitely new. "Who the fuck is this guy?" He mumbled under his breath.

That feeling of general unease was back. It was the same feeling he had back in the bar. _Flight or fight Scott_. Some of the shine of the borrowing some of Gabriel's wardrobe idea was lost. He put the shoe back where he had found it. Maybe his discarded clothes from the balcony would be just fine afterall... He finished drying himself off and threw the towel on the floor. _Tidy as ever_.

He collected the clothes from the balcony and finished dressing himself. Despite the ill feeling in his stomach, it continued to protest it's hunger. He might need to eat that fucking cherry bar afterall. He headed to collect a couple.

He had just got back into the kitchen and had collected the box containing the bars from the hidey hole where he found them. He opened the box, but before he could empty out any of the contents, he heard the front door open with a a large thud as it slammed into the wall.

_Finally. Answers._

He set the box back onto the counter and headed into the living room. The sight that greeted him was not exactly what he was expecting.

A figure leaned precariously against the door jar. Only the left side was visible to Scott. The clothes the man wore were filthy. The shirt ripped, Scott assumed the trousers were once white, but were now dark with soot? Dirt? Oil? Sand? They were fucking gross whatever it was stained with.

This wasn't a good scene. He was in the house of someone who he had never caught a surname of, and the more he learnt, the more shady this got. There was now a dirty stranger standing in the doorway.

His biotics flared, _you're panicked_ , a low blue filled the room.

"Sc......Scott" the figure managed to whisper.

 _Holy Fuck. Gabriel_.

Scott ran to the door as Gabriel started staggering into his home. Now that Scott saw the other side of Gabriel's body, the dark stain on the trousers made sense. So did the metallic smell seeping into the room.

Blood. And a whole fucking lot of it.

The whole right hand side of Gabriel's body was glistening with the dark red hue of drying blood. There was a large cut across running horizontally across the line of Gabriel's scalp. His hair was matted to his skull. Scott saw what he recognised as a gun shot wound to his right shoulder.

"Scott..." Gabriel whispered again. He extended his right hand as he stumbled further into the room and reached toward the younger man who was still 25 feet away from him but closing rapidly.

Gabriel collapsed onto the floor. Blood pooling rapidly where he had fallen.

Fuck.


	4. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec reflects on how he ended up here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not what where i was expecting to go with this chapter. Writing is fun.

Alec Ryder was not a patient man.

He had a host of talents. He was calm, analytical, adaptable. A fierce warrior with a keen intellect. He was also acutely aware of his flaws. He saw many of them himself and others had pointed out many more to him over the years. But it seems he never could quite overcome them; pigheadedness was high up on the list of flaws.

Alec had achieved much in his life, that first relay trip, scary as it was, is what defined his life. That leap into the unknown. He had spent much of his life chasing that initial thrill, trying to recreate that first buzz; he and Jon Grissom together, exploring the unknown. His N training had forged him into the man he was today. And it's what brought him to to Ellen. Undoubtedly the love of his life. They had been through so much together, and they had raised two wonderful children together. Scott and Sara where his pride and joy.

Alec didn't spend much time with regret. It was wasted effort. What was done was done. He believed in moving forward in all things. If you cant run from it, use it.

One of the few regrets he did have though related to his family. As much as he tried, at some point during his life, he had put up barriers, he didn't used to be like this. In his youth he was cocky, relaxed and full of life. At some point over the last 30 years he had grown into a more solemn and reserved character. Ellen saw through it and called him out on it. Though he hated how it impacted his relationship with his children. He couldn't be as open with them as he wanted too. They had to resent him for it. 

The kids were like their mother in so many ways. Scott would do anything for his Sister, and vice versa. They loved each other unconditionally and he knew they would always look out for each other. He remembered fondly an occasion when the kids were teenagers, Scott was figuring stuff out and had announced his intentions to go on his first date with a guy.

Alec had yet to met this boy that was holding the attentions of a 16 year old Scott. Scott assured him it was far too soon for anything like that. Alec was wary of allowing his son to roam free on the citadel, preferring Scott enjoy a civilised coffee on the presidium, traditional 'courting' he had insisted to his sons violent protestation. Finally Alec relented; Scott and Sara would both head down to Tayseri Ward. Scott's date was taking part in a production at Dilinaga Concert Hall. Scott and Sara would watch the show, and then Sara would come home to allow the boys to spend some time in the botanical gardens before getting something to eat.

When Scott bounced off to get ready for the evening, Sara took Alec to one side. She insisted that she would 'hang back' and supervise the date without Scott knowing. It was afterall, 'what big sisters are for'. It had turned out to be fortunate decision. A small group of Turians had decided they didn't appreciate the two human males holding hands in the gardens and decided to pick a fight. Scott and Sara fought them back to back until C-Sec turned up.

Yeh, his kids would be fine. He had raised them right. He often felt it easier to connect with his children as a drill sergeant than as a father. But his service in the Alliance had showed him one thing, that the golden dream of space exploration and the Council's veneer of stability and cross species unity was often far more fragile than the vids made it out to be. Alec had fought brutal mercenary companies and hostile pirates of all races. His children would be safe in this galaxy. He would see to it.

From a young age, Scott showed biotic potential, Scott being ever curious and eager to please had wanted to develop it as soon as he could. Alec's career had shown him much, some of it via official channels, some off book stuff. Alec worked with both his kids to teach them what he could. Scott had developed strong skills. Alec would have preferred if Scott had developed a different sort of relationship with his biotics than the vanguard tendencies he was leaning towards. But Scott, ever headstrong, had insisted that it felt the most natural to him. Scott had always been the most emotional of his kids, and acted far more on gut than Sara ever did. Another thing Scott had picked up from Alec.

Sara, never wanted to be left out, was also keen to learn as much as she could from Alec. Whilst his kids loved each other deeply, they were always in competition with each other. Ellen always scoffed at Alec when he encouraged it, but to him, encouraging them to be the best versions of themselves was important. The rivalry between them was friendly, for the most part, and they always pushed each other just that little bit further.

Sara chose a different path than Scott when it came to her training, she was most comfortable with tech and her sniping skills were second to none. It was a constant argument between his children as to who would be most effective in combat, Sara with her ability to quickly pick out enemies from a distance, or Scott with his ability to get up close and move from target to target and leaving a wake of destruction before his opponents really knew what was going on. Alec honestly didn't know who had the better argument. He just knew both of them would be safe. He had done his job.

It was somewhat inevitable that his kids both chose to serve as soon as they were able. Both enrolled for training years ahead of those in their class in terms of their abilities. They sailed through training and had their pick of any posting. Scott choosing to base at Arcturus, the 'grand gateway' to the stars is how Scott had described it. Alec was able to keep a close eye on Scott via his friendship with Steven Hackett. Whilst Hackett wasn't the sort given to nepotism, and would never advance a solider just because of familial relationships, Hackett had told Alec he was impressed with the solider his son was developing into and could see great things in his Alliance career. Alec had never been prouder of his son that day.

Sara's capacity for intellectual curiosity was one of her biggest assets. It was this curiosity that enrolled her in Prothean digs. She had told him so many times, that the combination of raw science on such advanced artefacts they were discovering on an almost daily basis and the odd skirmish with would be pirates meant there was nowhere in the galaxy she would rather be.

It was all the more heartbreaking then that what happened had happened.

Alec knew he was on thin ice already. When he pitched the idea of a new form of hybrid AI to Ambassador Goyle on the Citadel it hadn't gone to plan. Alec had hoped the research he had done would be enough to convince her. He knew this would work, he had been working on this idea for years. It was one of those niggling ideas that got into his brain and just wouldn't let go. But then those were always the best ones.

Symbiosis was the key. This would be a partnership. Two entities working together, the collective better than the sum of the parts. It would be they key for human controlled evolution and whats more, could advance humanity by decades. Humanity was still new on the galactic scene, and Alec had seen the first contact war. He had seen Shanxi after humanity had reclaimed the outpost. He had seen what the Turians were capable of, they destroyed entire city blocks in apparent efforts to locate a single resistance fighter.

So of course they and the Council would enforce rules that maintained the status quo. Why couldn't the ambassador see it? She barely looked at his research, all that work he and Ellen had done was wasted, all she would talk about is consequences with the Council and the Geth.

This was different. He wasn't proposing a new generation of Geth. Two minds as one. Symbiosis was the key.

That might have been the end of it, but then they received Ellen's devastating diagnosis. Her life's work was what was going to kill her. Working with eezo for so many years had resulted in AEND. A degenerative, and terminal, neurological disorder.

Alec wouldn't let it go. The more he looked at his AI designs, the more convinced he was that it could make all the difference to humanity. But more than that, Ellen had some groundbreaking ideas when it came to implant designs. Theoretically, it meant that the symbiosis could go far deeper than even he had originally thought possible. The AI could even one day have the potential to enhance neurological conditions - maybe it could save Ellen. They continued their research in secret.

They hadn't told the kids about Ellen's disorder. Not without knowing more. Alec knew he had a way to cure Ellen and her condition was still in it's early stages. Telling them at such an important period in the kids lives seemed cruel.

But then weeks turned to months and Ellen's condition became symptomatic. They broke it to the kids. Alec never wanted to see that look on his children's faces ever again. He wouldn't allow it. His research was progressing and Ellen's latest designs had further convinced him that this would work. But before he would tell the kids he would have proof. He wouldn't be responsible for causing that look on the kids if it didn't work.

But the unthinkable happened. Alec had been found out.

He was ready to progress his prototype and to do so, he needed a quantum computer for the AI matrix. The development of the machines was tightly controlled and an intermediary Alec had used to obtain components had been caught as part of a Council sting and gave him up.

So that ended his career with the Alliance, he received a dishonourable discharge. A small price to pay for saving his wife.

But what he wasn't expecting was that the Alliance wanted to make nice with the council. He was to be made an example of. His children were also punished. It broke his heart that he had destroyed his children's promising careers. But when they finally knew why, he was convinced they'd understand.

He hadn't spoken to his kids since he returned to Earth with Ellen. He didn't think he could look them in the eye. Sara had tried to reach out to him. Scott hadn't sent a single message. That hurt him the most.

He knew from Ellen that they were dealing it with the best they could. Well, Sara was at least. She still had a few connections left in some of the less regulated areas of the scientific community. The Council's reach was somewhat limited in the outer edges of the Traverse, towards the Terminus Systems and she was still pursing some other options.

Scott on the other hand? Ellen was worried. He was lost without a purpose. Ellen thought he had been drinking far more than usual and had closed down.

But Alec was close. His dismissal from the Alliance had peaked the interest of other groups. He received a mysterious contact from someone who only introduced themselves as 'the benefactor.' Alec didn't trust it, but he was desperate, he knew he had the means to save his wife, to save his family. All his savings were exhausted and he was toxic. That was how he found his way to the Initiative. His legal problems went away thanks to the benefactors contacts and he was introduced to Jien Garson who, despite concealing the nature of funding for her initiative, Alec came to trust.

The months that followed were a whirlwind. Resources seemed endless and his AI, or SAM as it was now known, quickly developed. Alec had completed round after round of improvement and interaction to SAM's source code, had worked with some of the finest minds in the initiative and, most importantly, had been able to successfully integrate SAM via Ellen's implant. It was amazing. SAM was making a measurable difference to Ellen's physiology. It was able to slow progression of the disease.

Slow, but not stop. Alec still had a deadline, but he had hope. He had something to tell his children. He could finally explain why this had to happen. He could finally make them understand.

Ellen told him that Sara was due back on world in a couple of days whilst she tried to find another dig that she could support. That meant he had to reach out to Scott.

He started an email.

**Son.**

**I know you've never really gotten my need for research or to push the frontier.**

**You'll understand when you..**

No. That wasn't the way to do it. He deleted the email and started again.

**Son,**

**I've always been at the edge of what the possible could be. I've never believed we should be constrained by what others tell us is...**

No. It wasn't about him. He tried again.

**Scott,**

**Son. I'm sorry.**

**I'm sorry for everything. All these years I've been an instructor first and a father second. I've always tried to push you and your sister. Sometimes i know I've succeeded in pushing you away.**

**I know these few months have been hard. And that's on me. But, I need you to know I've been working on something. For us. For our family.**

**I want to tell you about it. Your sister is home, please come back so I can explain to both of you why all this happened.**

**It's important Scott.**

**I love you.**  
  
He sent the message without reading it back. He didn't trust that he'd be able to be honest again in a rewrite


	5. Ministration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some TLC is needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. This last week has been manic.

Fuck. Fuck.

Scott continued to run towards Gabriel, he had hit the floor hard and was now spread against the white floor. It wasn't a pretty scene. Now that Scott was able to fully appraise the situation, Gabriel looked nothing like the man who Scott had woken up to that morning.

He had clearly been beaten, one eye looked to be swollen shut, one vivid green eye looked back at Scott expectantly as he continued his trauma appraisal. The slash across Gabriel's head, whilst looking bad, seemed to be largely superficial, it ran from one side of his scalp to the other, but it was shallow. Scott suspected it was designed to inflict pain rather than serious injury.

Scott looked down to the bullet wound in Gabriel's shoulder. It looked as if the bullet had gone straight through. Bleeding had mostly stopped. That was good. But there was something wrong. There was way more blood on the floor than these two wounds would suggest.

"Sco..." Gabriel tried to get out.

"Hold on man, hold on." Scott ordered his patient.

Scott continued to look for any other wounds that would explain the situation. It didn't take long. Scott had started to remove the shirt Gabriel was wearing, when he saw it. The delicate fabric was sticking to a deep and angry looking wound near Gabriel's right kidney. It looked to be a from a serrated knife, and it was a wide vertical slash. Scott had received basic trauma training from the Alliance, and had seen his share of injuries in the field. He knew this wound was designed to be fatal. Someone had tried to kill Gabriel. _Seriously. Who is this guy?_ Gabriel whimpered in pain as Scott tried to remove the stuck material from the wound so he could get a better look.

Scott needed to get Gabriel to a clinic. He needed attention.

"Hold on Gabriel, let me go call for help." Scott tried to find his big boy voice and sound as confident and reassuring as he could for his lover.

Scott remembered seeing a comm unit on a desk in a spare room so rose to go and signal for help.

"Scott. No." Gabriel sounded almost assertive in his direction to Scott.

Scott interpreted this as Gabriel not wanting to be left alone, "Hey hey, it's ok" Scott reassured Gabriel. "I'll only be gone a second, i just need to go and get some help. So you don't bleed out all over this fancy floor."

"Scott. No." Gabriel repeated. "Don't call anyone. No one can know I'm her...". Gabriel's voice trailed off towards the end of the sentence, but the intent was clear.

"What? What do you mean? You can't just..." Scott was aware his voice had jumped an octave, _you're beginning to panic again. It's the thought of loosing this guy._

Gabriel interrupted his train of thought, "There's...medigel and plasma in a compartment in the fireplace...left hand side....Go".

_What the actual fuck? Who is this guy?_

Scott looked down at Gabriel, not quite sure he had heard correctly, but he was still running on instinct here. And he had just been given an order. He rose and ran over to the fireplace and started to look for obvious places where Gabriel could have stashed the supplies. His hands ran over the fancy brickwork, it took him a couple of minutes of looking over the elaborate bricks till he found what appeared to be a out of place stone. Tentatively he pushed at it and with a click a large panel of the stonework fell away just to the left of Scott.

Scott rose to his feet to look into the panel now exposed. It was a large recess, brightly lit white. On the base of the panel was a large canister of medigel, two small red canisters labelled as containing plasma. But there was more. There were papers, actual old fashioned paperwork thrown into folders, data pads, something that looked like a map and list of names & places attached to the wall of the cupboard, a large collection of credit chits and large secure box. Resting to the side of the box, and most alarming to Scott was a M6 Carnifex Pistol.

_Who. The. Fuck. Is. This. Guy?_

Scott shook his head. That will come later.

He grabbed the medigel and plasma containers and returned to Gabriel on the floor.

Scott was worried the medigel wouldn't be enough for the large wound running down the side of Gabriel. Medigel was pretty damn miraculous, but it had its limits. Scott would have to try something. He had learnt a couple of nifty tricks growing up on the Citadel. The melting pot of cultures and civilisations all had their own little tricks and secrets. He had seen an Asari perform this trick and had been so impressed he nagged and nagged until she taught it to him. Of course... he hadn't actually used it yet. _First time for everything._

He cleared his thoughts, and held the canister of medigel in his left hand. With his right, he activated his biotics and focused intently. This would be delicate. He focused on creating a tiny mass effect field. Using his right hand, he directed this field towards the large wound. The aim was simple, to create a gentle biotic pull field which would pull the flesh together coherently and reduce the amount of work the medigel would have to do.

Scott visualised the wound in his head, and pictured the blood vessels rejoining, he activated his biotic mnemonics for a pull field and watched as the wound in Gabriel's side lit up with blue. To his amazement, the wound joined together slowly and neatly. With his left hand, he injected about half of the canister into the wound. Saving the remainder for Gabriel's other wounds.

Gabriel exclaimed loudly in pain as the medigel filled his wound. The unmistakable smell of antiseptic filled the room. Scott treated the rest of the wounds and injected Gabriel with one canister of plasma.

Content that the majority of the wounds appeared to be treated as best as they could be and happy that all looked to be closed, Scott delicately rose to his feet and, as gently as he could, picked up Gabriel. Using a small mass effect field to aide the lifting, he carried Gabriel towards the bed they had shared.

Gently leaving him in the bed, Scott returned to the kitchen. He ran some warm water into a bowl and found a clean cloth. He returned to the bed and as gently as he could, started to wash the dirt and grime away from Gabriel. At some point, during Scott's attempts to treat Gabriel the older man had lost consciousness. It was only now that he appeared to be breathing steadily and the bleeding had stopped did Scott allow himself to think about what was actually happening.

As he washed away the blood and dirt off his lover he began to see the man he recognised returned to him. He knew so little about this man. They had shared so little time together, but Scott was irrationally drawn to him. He felt emotion swell inside him as he looked down on him and thought about how close this man had come to dying.

Scott washed down the remainder over the next hour. He deliberately worked as slowly as he could to intently stare at Gabriel's chest as it gently rose and fell with each breath. Gabriel seemed to be in a relatively shallow but stable pattern and he'd yet to wake up. Scott had returned to the bathroom several times over the hour to empty the water out of the bowl and deliberately and methodically running tepid water so as not to expose Gabriel's body to any more chills.

The little biotic surgery Scott had performed and the emotions of the last ninety minutes had taken it out of him. Scott was feeling drained. After tidying away the washcloth and bowl. He climbed into the bed where Gabriel was asleep. Careful to slide into the uninjured side of Gabriel. Scott pulled Gabriel's arm around him and gently kissed at Gabriel's hand.

As Scott gradually fell into a restless sleep, the new message indicator on his omnitool flashed into life silently. 


	6. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott has to deal with a couple of uncomforable discoveries.

Scott woke up a few hours later.

Gabriel hadn't moved from the position Scott had left him in, his arm was still wrapped around Scott's body.

Scott gently moved the arm to disentangle himself from the embrace. Gently, he slid off the bed. He stood up, stretched and rubbed his eyes. _Just what the fucking hell was going on._ Scott walked around the side of the bed to check on Gabriel. His breathing seemed better and the fine layer of sweat that had been forming on his brow a couple of hours ago was largely gone.

Scott looked down to check on the long wound down Gabriel's side. The red line was in stark contrast to the tan of Gabriel's skin. It looked a neat wound. Scott admired his handiwork. He was impressed with himself. The little biotic stunt he pulled seemed to have worked. Given Scott's neat biotic surgery and the copious amounts of medigel Scott had applied, Gabriel might not even have a scar when healed. _Nice job._   Scott checked on the other wounds on Gabriel, again, all looked to be responding well to the medigel.

Scott looked at the face of the sleeping man in front of him. He was starting to turn back into the man Scott had gone to bed with last night. The swelling was starting to reduce on Gabriel's eye. Without even thinking about it, Scott took his hand and ran it gently down the side of his sleeping lovers face. He reached down and kissed Gabriel gently on his forehead. _What is it about you?_ There was something about Gabriel that Scott just wanted to protect. He wanted to pull him close, to embrace him tightly and make everything ok. He wanted to stand in front of Gabriel as they found out who had done this. As they kicked the ass of whoever had tried to kill him. He would always have his back. Scott might have his flaws, but loyalty was not one not of them. If Gabriel needed his help, he'd be there. _But there are still so many questions about this guy._

Gabriel had stirred slightly at Scott's kiss, and whilst Scott wanted nothing more than to wake him up and get some answers, he needed rest. Medigel had mild analgesic properties, and when given in massive doses, like the one Scott had given to Gabriel, could knock someone on their ass for a while. Gabriel needed to sleep it off.

Scott could wait. _Scott thought he could wait._

He headed back into the main living area. He had forgotten just how bad the scene was that presented itself. The door to the apartment was still open, door slammed wide where Gabriel had supported himself against the door frame. Blood and dirt collected where Gabriel had lent. Scott closed the door and looked into the mess of the living room. There was a large pool of blood which had mostly set on the white floor where Gabriel had collapsed. Bits of the white shirt Scott had ripped off Gabriel were swatted around on the floor along with the empty medical canisters and the one full canister of plasma that Scott had not used.

He walked over to the mess tiptoeing in part to avoid getting blood all over his bare feet and picked up the canister. He would put it back where he found it.

He got over to the secret cubbyhole and a cold shiver ran through him. _Who has a secure cubbyhole to begin with?_ Now that his lover wasn't bleeding out on the floor, Scott had a better look inside the compartment.

There was no way he could spin this in his head, _and lord I've been trying_. This wasn't good. Scott counted 28 credit chits thrown into a pile at the far right of the white compartment. They were partially obstructing a map of Rio stuck to the far wall. Certain intersections across a couple of districts were hastily circled and numbered in red pen. The numbers corresponded with a list of names that were stuck to the side of the map. No, not names, pseudonyms? Or code names? Viper for example seemed to be based at point number 14. Which from Scott's limited understanding of the city, was a couple of blocks away from where they were now.

The cold shiver returned when he saw the bar where he had met yesterday afternoon circled with the word 'encontro' above it. Scott spoke a little Portuguese. Enough to know the word meant 'meeting'.

  
He continued looking over the contents of the cupboard. The datapads couldn't be accessed, they all had fingerprint readers attached to the front and wouldn't power up without being unlocked. For a split second Scott contemplated going to the bedroom and seeing if Gabriel's thumb would unlock them. _But using the unconscious hand of a man who had fucked the living shit out of you seemed to cross a line right?_

It was the same for the large storage box alongside the folders. Except this time, as well as a biometric component, there was a large data pad to input an access code as well. Someone was obviously serious about keeping the contents inside. Scott's curiosity got the better of him. With a struggle he lifted the heavy box and shook it. There was a gentle rattle of contents inside. Scott couldn't place the sound, it was subtle, high pitched and familiar. He shook again to be sure. And then put the box back.

The gun bothered him. There was no way to explain this away. This was a seriously powerful hand weapon. Even the Alliance didn't issue it to standard grunts. He was fast forming a view of this new man in his life that he couldn't reconcile with the gentle and caring man he had seen glimpses off over the last 24 hours.

Puzzled, he pushed the small button he had discovered last night. The artificial panel which was concealing the hiding place clicked back into place. _Out of sight out of mind._

He headed into the kitchen to collect some cleaning supplies. He would try and clean up the apartment as best he could. The site of Gabriel's split blood all over the place was starting to freak him out.

He hesitantly opened the cupboard under the sink, _surely Gabriel would be conventional enough to have cleaning stuff under the sink._ _Everyone does that right?_ Thankfully, he was in for no more undue surprises here. He picked up a bucket, some cloths and what he assumed were cleaning supplies. He set about running some hot water into the bucket.

As he waited for the water to warm, his eyes found the box of cherry energy bars on the counter top. His stomach rumbled. _What's that they say about beggars and choosing?_

He filled the bucket with hot water and emptied in some of the cleaning fluid. As he set it back on the counter his stomach rumbled again. Fuck it. He would try one of the evil ass tasting cherry bars.

He picked one out of the box without looking inside it, _cos it wouldn't taste as bad if he didn't look at the contents right?_ He grabbed another bottle of water from the fridge and took his snack back to the bucket chairs on the balcony.

The view of the city was changing, dusk had fallen and lights were starting to spring up. It was beautiful. He sat into a chair and fondly remembered the last time he was sat in one of these. The first time Gabriel took Scott's dick into his mouth and... _no. All attention for upstairs brain right now._

  
Scott ripped the wrapper off the bar, sniffed it tentatively and took a bite. Thankfully it wasn't all that bad. The bar tasted long past its best. Maybe cherry wasn't Gabriel's thing either. As he took another bite, something caught his eye. Stark and flashing against the twilight. It was his omnitool. He had set to to idle mode long before coming to Rio and it was only now he was outside in the rapidly fading light did he notice a red indicator flashing just below his skin.

He took a large drink of his water and then sighed as he sat it on the floor. He activated the tool and pulled up the messages. Just one, from his father? This was unexpected. "Fuck."

Maybe it was the long overdue apology. No. Dad didn't do those so well. What then?

Scott hit the message and started to read. He read the brief message from his father three times before finally starting to understand the words. What the actual fuck was happening? His father apologising? Accepting responsibility for the shitty mess which was his life right now? Telling him he loved him? This was just...wow.

He closed the message. He couldn't deal with this right now. Since his Alliance discharge, his emotions had bubbled far too close to the surface. Scott had always been acutely aware that he had been he twin that had got the full emotional range, whilst Sara had gotten his share of science stuff.

He already had one messed up situation to deal with. _Priorities Scott._

He devoured the rest of the stale, ass tasting bar in a couple of mouthfuls and returned to the kitchen. Just one more bar before he'd tackle clean up. He reached into the box slightly more confidently, the cherry wouldn't get him now he had conquered one bar. Reaching inside, he could feel a bar, but it seemed wedged horizontally across the box. He leaned over the box to get a better view and pushed against the bar. It didn't budge. With both hands he squeezed the box slightly which warped against the force. The bar buckled and popped up. But something else did as well.

Scott emptied out the box onto the counter. A single cherry protein bar fell with a crash, and along with it came about ten small bags. The bags were wrapped tightly and full of a dark powder. They landed on the counter with a gentle plop. It was subtle and high pitched. That same noise from the secure unit. _Fuck_.

Scott picked up a packet and examined it closely. What appeared to be a dark powder at first now had a more pronounced grain to it, and what he originally thought was dark was infact... _Shit_. It was red. He was holding a wrapper of Red Sand. He checked the other wrappers. There were a dozen of them and all of them had the the exact same red sandy contents.

Gabriel had a dozen doses of Red Sand hidden in his kitchen. And a fuckton more in a secret hidden vault in his living room.

____________

Scott knew of Red Sand. He was a biotic. All Alliance biotics had the same lecture, the same warnings that family and friends of biotics were often most prone to sample it and then fall into its painful addictive grasp. And that for certain biotics, they felt better able to access their  potential with fewer side effects if they were high. There were the standard warnings and case studies of mercenary groups controlling people via addition.

But Scott didn't need all that, he grown up on the Citadel and with a father as a former N7 operative. He didn't need the Alliance's preaching or mock indignation at the plight of addicts. He'd seen those who dusted up regularly. He had seen addiction in action, the Citadel was a big place.

He had ditched Sara one afternoon in the wards when he was about 15. He loved exposing himself to as much alien culture as possible. He might not have gotten all his dad's smarts, but he had certainly picked up dad's bug when it came to exploitation and curiosity. He loved exploring as much as he could of the wards. Of course when he was with his parents, they stuck to the respectable parts of the Citadel. Even when it was just him and Sara, he could only goad her into exploring the lesser taken path half of the time. So in times like this, when he had managed to shake Sara he had to make the most of it. He knew he had about an hour before Sara would contact their parents and Scott would end up grounded. 

Scott and Sara had been trusted to head to Kithoi Ward to return something to the Council Archives for their father. It was a ward that Scott hadn't spent much time on, so of course he slipped his sensible big sister to do some exploring.

It had been about 45mins since he had ditched his sister, Scott had bought some great Asari sweet treat on a stick that he had never tried before, had successfully hustled a Turian out of 150 credits and was heading back the the shuttle station when he saw couple of Batarians heading out of a small door. Scott hung back. Batarians on the station were still something of a novelty to him. He had heard some stories from his dad about run ins with them during his years of service. And everyone had read the reports about the Hegemony's varying protests with the Council about Humanity.

Scott should have been worried. But like Sara always told him. That part of his brain wasn't all that developed. It had been squeezed out by reckless curiosity and brazen risk taking.

He waited until the Batarians were out of sight before walking over to the door, he expected it to be locked, but the handle open when he pulled against it. Tentatively he pushed the door open. Inside was dark, he couldn't see more than 5ft in front of him. He might not be a be able to see much, but his senses were overwhelmed. There was an incredible heat coming from somewhere, it took his breath away as he ventured beyond the threshold of the door. The heat attacked his senses along with a vile and pungent smell. When replaying the story to Sara later that day, he characterised the smell as 'despair'. It was a combination of bodily fluids, that seemed to change from second to second which meant he was never able to get used to one smell before the next assaulted him. He wretched several times. That new Asari treat was about to make another appearance. Something told him it wouldn't be as delicious on the way back up.

Any other 15 year old boy may have lost his nerve and turned back. Scott Ryder was made of sterner stuff. He carried on into the darkness. His pupils dilating to desperately soak in as much light as possible. About 15ft into the room, he saw something on the floor. Legs. He followed the legs right the way up to the face of a man in his 50's. The man was spread eagled on his back, vomit covered most of his dirty shirt and was matted in his unkempt beard. For a second Scott was convinced he was dead. It was only when he coughed and spluttered loudly and grabbed at some imaginary thing in front of his face did Scott back away. He looked to his right, the room opened up into a seething mass of people. Most seemed to be in the same situation. _A mass of the dregs of humanity._

Scott's instincts twitched and he spun around to see a young girl staggering towards him. A girl who couldn't be more than a few years older than he was. Her head was completely shaved and, her eyes sunken into her skull. She smiled at him as she lumbered forward. Scott originally thought she was bleeding, but would later come to recognise the red teeth and tongue as side effects from too much Sand.

She clumsily reached towards Scott's trousers and tried to unfasten his belt "20 credits for a good time" she whispered at him.

Scott batted away her hands from her trousers and held her hands together in his hands when she looked in danger of falling over.

"Listen to me," He tried to sound assertive but as gentle as he could "I have some creds, but I want you to promise me, if i give them to you, you'll get on a shuttle and get out of this place."

She nodded idly.

"Listen, a promise is important, do you understand? My name is Scott, what's yours?

The girl looked confused.

"Scott" he repeated as he pointed towards himself.

"Cassandra...Cassie is what my mother used to call me". She said after a short pause.

"It's nice to meet you Cassie. So will you promise me that you'll go someplace else with this money?" He brought the credit chit he had won 30 minutes earlier out of his pocket. She grabbed at it.

"Cassie, I need a promise first."

"I...I...promise" She smiled a broken smile at him. Scott passed her the credit chit.

"Ok sweetheart, lets get out of here." Scott put his arm around Cassie as he started to lead her to the door. They took their time retracing the steps back to the small door. Cassie squinted painfully as they emerged into the artificial light of the ward proper.

"Ok Cassie, do you need me to take you anywhere? Back to the shuttle stop?"

"NO" Cassie suddenly shouted at Scott, "No, i have friends not far, I'm ok"

"No Cassie, let me help you somewhere, remember a promise is a promise, you promised you'd go someplace else".

Cassie smiled that broken smile again. Out here in the light Scott could see she was missing several teeth, and the ones she had were stained a deep scarlet.

Without saying another word, Cassie unleashed a powerful biotic push toward Scott. Boasted by the artificial abilities granted by the drug it took Scott by surprise. Before he had time to react, the push had hit him, he lost his footing and was pushed back against the wall. His head collided harshly against the metal and he slowly slid to the floor, his vision blackened for a second and he could taste blood.

By the time he got back to his feet, Cassie was long gone.

He made it back to the shuttle point. Where he found Sara. She had gotten wise to his little routine of adventure so had been pacing annoyed for the last hour.

"You were close this time Scott. Really close. I was minutes away from calling Dad" She chastised. She's was about to open up some more when she realised Scott was limping and rubbing what appeared to be a wound from his head. Her tone changed instantly and she moved toward him quickly "What happened??"

"Long story". Was all that Scott offered. "I'll tell you on the way to C-Sec".

C-Sec were less then convinced by Scott's tale. The gruff Turian unwilling to listen to the tall tale of the two human children infront of them. After two hours of getting nowhere, they called their father. Alec had pulled some strings with C-Sec and got the station lieutenant to commit to rounding up some officers for a raid on the den the next day.

 

 

It was late afternoon the following day when Scott got an update from his father. The raid had been a mixed bag, no casualties amongst the C-Sec officers. No arrests either, the batarians must have been tipped off and had packed up the operation and had left. There were 38 humans in the local infirmary being treated for Red Sand addiction.

There was one piece of news that kept Scott awake for many many nights after he found out. As well as the addicts recovered, there had been one body. A human girl. 18 years old. With a shaved head. Cause of death was a massive overdose. She had been dead for less than 6 hours when she had been found.

Scott had broken down as soon as his father had told him, and he explained it all to Sara...about how it was his credits that she must have used to buy that massive dose...

 

So yeh. Scott had some experiences with Red Sand.

 

_____________

 

A loud bang snapped Scott out of the unhappy memory.

He struggled to place the noise. _Gabriel falling out of bed maybe?_

He headed back to the living room and was about to head towards the bedrooms when he found the source of the noise. Gabriel's front door had been kicked in. It hung precariously from a single hinge. Scott turned to see three men walking into the room. All three of them were armed. One with a pistol, the second with a sub machine gun, and the third held something that drained the colour from Scott's face.

The third man held a long serrated knife. The same patten that Scott recognised from the wound on Gabriel's side.

This was the man who had tried to kill him.

The man met Scott's eyes.

 

He smiled. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, another long one. I never anticipated being so long on Earth. Sorry if you've gotten bored with the story. I'm having fun with it at least!


End file.
